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The MovieViews 500 – October Summary

The MovieMuse team has set ourselves the challenge of watching 500 different films between us in 2017. Every new film we watch will be rated and given a short review as part of our MovieViews database.

October’s total was perhaps a bit disappointing following the increase in films watched during September, but with 36 new films viewed, we have now passed the 400 mark and with two months to go, reaching the target is still achievable. As you might expect from the month that ends with Halloween, there were plenty of horror films watched during October, from classics such as Halloween to new releases like IT, Happy Death Day and Gerald’s Game.

Below are the stats for the month, including our picks for best and worst films of the month. You can also scroll down to see the reviews written by each team member for every film watched in October.

Overall Stats

January - June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Total Films Watched

282

39

35

63

38

37

74

Unique Films Watched

258

32

32

51

36

36

66

New Reviews Added

231

30

30

47

33

36

61

Average Rating Given

3.30

3.09

3.29

3.25

3.03

3.08

3.18

Challenge Completion

51.6%

58.0%

64.4%

74.6%

81.8%

89.0%

102.2%

Team Member Stats for October

Gordon

Mat

Simon

Total Films Watched

18

16

4

Unique Films Watched

18

15

2

New Reviews Added

17

14

2

Average Rating Given

2.78

3.16

3.63

Best Film of the Month

Tears in the Rain

IT

Batman Begins

Worst Film of the Month

Fantastic Four

The Take

Passengers

Gordon’s Reviews

Tries to show the civilian fascination with and trivialisation of war, but fails to get its message across due to its incredibly overplayed pathos, unlikeable performances and tv-movie production. Ang Lee can do much better.

A 4D collaboration between Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Michael Jackson for Disney theme parks. What could go wrong? A terrible script, dated effects and a very poor Jacko song are not enough to ruin a reasonably fun and thankfully short film.

Despite its big budget and shiny visuals, this saintly portrayal bears all the hallmarks of a daytime TV biography. The human Winston is completely removed in favour of a caricature of his speech self.

Filled with the very best names on the acting B-list, this horror comedy about a zombie virus that only affects pre-pubescents is a pretty good premise and has plenty of gore and laughs. It is only a shame that it runs out of steam too soon.

A sex game goes wrong leaving a woman chained to a bed and in danger in this clever interpretation of a book once thought unfilmable. The biggest issue with the film is the fault of Stephen King's book and its unnecessary serial killer side story.

Mat‘s Reviews

One of John Carpenter's more commercial offerings, and as a result the subtlety and suspense of his earlier films is replaced by overblown action, dodgy special effects and a large helping of 80's cheese. Enjoyable, but not one of his best.

Few directors get the chance to remake their own films, and most of us probably wish John Carpenter hadn't bothered, as this rehash of Escape From New York offers nothing new and features some pretty awful special effects.

The original template for dozens of mediocre slasher films that followed. Carpenter's film is a masterpiece in the art of building up suspense and 'less is more' horror, with not a scene wasted, and perfectly accompanied by his chilling score.

Not especially scary, but definitely creepy and frequently gruesome, the film's greatest achievement is the perfect recreation of an 80's adventure movie with near-flawless performances from its young cast.

It may be marketed as a horror film but this is more like a kids coming of age drama with fantasy elements. The acting is reasonably good and there is a sense of mystery, but the main twist is blatantly obvious from the start and rather spoils it.

Proof that you can have too much of a good thing, as Tobey Maguire's last outing as Spidey is bogged down with too many villains, too much relationship drama and some unremarkable action sequences. A disappointing end to an otherwise superb trilogy.

Brendan Gleeson is on top form as the loudmothed anti-hero of this unconventional crime thriller. There's an often uncomfortable mix of depravity, un-PC humour, violence and emotional drama, but they combine to make a truly unique and hilarious film.

The inconsistent shooting style is annoying and the characters are mostly dumb, but this is a perfectly watchable horror film, creating a good sense of claustrophobia that allows for a few effective jump scares.

Aside from some exciting action sequences this is almost instantly forgettable. Several British actors use American accents, but with an abundance of French dialogue used too, this film would never appeal to the US audience it was clearly aimed at!

The Cold War may long be over but the message of this film is still surprisingly relevant, and it has aged better than most teen adventure films from this era thanks to the serious subject matter and decent acting.

3.5

Simon’s Reviews

The reboot of the Batman series could have been a poor cash in, but with Christian Bale in the lead as the venerable caped crusader it turns out to be an enjoyable and thoroughly watchable delve into the criminal underworld of Gotham.

Tom Hanks plays out a real life drama with his usual panache and feeling, and turns a disastrous situation into an enjoyable and emotional experience, if a little flat in the fact that the main action is played out away from the Hudson river.